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by Bradley King (Author)
When a rare disease strikes without warning, one engineer's unremarkable life becomes a two-decade battle for survival-and understanding.
In 2000, Bradley King was living a comfortable, ordinary life as an engineer. Then strange skin lesions appeared, followed by years of misdiagnoses, failed treatments, and devastating physical decline. What he was experiencing was pyoderma gangrenosum-a rare dysfunction of the immune system affecting only 3-10 people per million annually. Even among this uncommon population, his case was considered severe enough and atypical enough to perplex and even traumatize experienced specialists.
Then It Was My Turn offers what medical journals cannot: an honest, unflinching account of living with a "diagnosis of exclusion" disease-one where every other possibility must be ruled out before the correct diagnosis emerges, often too late to prevent catastrophic harm.
This memoir is for:
- Newly diagnosed pyoderma gangrenosum patients seeking to understand what lies ahead
- Family members supporting loved ones through chronic illness
- Medical professionals wanting the patient perspective
- Anyone navigating the challenges of rare disease and disability
King writes in plain English accessible to general readers while maintaining sufficient medical detail to inform healthcare professionals. He chronicles not only the physical devastation of aggressive autoimmune disease but also the psychological impact, the erosion of career, and the slow, difficult process of coming to terms with permanent difficulties caused by a disease that could only be managed and not cured.
Beyond the medical narrative, King reflects on how suffering transformed his capacity for empathy and his understanding of chance, fate, and the brief nature of human existence. His philosophical insights provide perspective without descending into self-pity or false optimism.
Twenty years after his symptoms began, King offers this account before crucial details fade-written for a community that rarely shares their experiences publicly. This memoir provides solidarity to those facing their own unwanted transformations and illuminates the vast, often invisible population coping with serious health challenges in our society.
Honest. Unflinching. Essential reading for anyone touched by rare disease.
